It is not often that Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho and Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger agree on anything, but they are totally in agreement that the British transfer window should close before the start of the season proper. The Portugese bus conductor was very emphatic about it.
He said on Wednesday: “The transfer window is over. I don’t like the transfer window when the competition starts after tomorrow, I don’t like transfer window during the competition.”
“..I know that my club is able to buy or to sell – every club can buy or can sell in this moment – but I don’t like that feeling. As a football coach, thinking about my players, my squad and my coaching role, I don’t want to think about the transfer window.
“What happened, happened, but I’m not going to lose one minute of my time to think about transfer window, I have to think about how to get the best out of my players, and that’s what I am doing now.”
Wenger is also against the window extending into the season, and believes everything should be finalised before the first game, which happens to be today for Arsenal. ‘Yes, because it creates uncertainties.” Wenger said.
“I believe at the start of the season everybody should be committed, not half in half out. The other handicap is you could play for different clubs. The same player. He plays against you, then plays against you for another club. We say ‘oh you have to love the shirt’. But within the same season you have to love two shirts.”
I have to admit that I agree with him, but the problem is that not all countries start or end their seasons at the same time. I guess they could say that transfers can only be made in June and July, but in the years with a World Cup it would leave very little time for top players to make a deal.
And it certainly creates uncertainties, as in the case of Benzema, but looking at it another way, would we have got Ozil if the window had closed in July?
What do you think?